Behind the Steel Curtain
We are officially less than one week away from having Steelers football back, as players are set to report to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe this coming Tuesday. However, some players may not necessarily be looking forward to staying in Latrobe.
Appearing on Cam Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast, former Steelers edge rusher Bud Dupree made it known he was not a fan of living in the dorms at Saint Vincent College.
“Nah, they still go to Latrobe?” Dupree asked Heyward. “The best training camp we had was the COVID year. We stayed at our own house. I hated the dorms. I hated it.”
Heyward seemed to agree with Dupree that the living situation for players in Latrobe was not ideal.
“The COVID year, we were trying so hard to win a Super Bowl so then we could tell Mr. Rooney and be like, Mr. Rooney, we won a Super Bowl, we don’t need to go back to Latrobe,” Heyward said. “It did not work out in that way. We were back in Latrobe the next year.”
It was one thing to hear Dupree speak out of the dorms, but for Heyward to echo his opinion was eye-opening. The Steelers have held training camp in Latrobe at Saint Vincent College since 1966. The players stay in college dorms through the duration of camp, making it a unique training camp experience from the rest of the NFL.
The Steelers tend to have a fairly rigorous training camp in the heat of August. While this isn’t any different from what any other NFL team does, the living conditions don’t allow for the same freedom that other teams may have available for their players who stay at home throughout training camp, much like they would during the season.
It’s hard to imagine Pittsburgh ever leaving Latrobe to have training camp somewhere else, but it is interesting to see former and current players let their thoughts on the Steelers training camp program be known.
Let us know what you think in the comments below! Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
